Battle-axe (woman)

This article is about the stereotype of women. For other uses, see Battleaxe (disambiguation).
Carrie Nation, brandishing a hatchet

A battle-axe is a derogatory traditional stereotype describing a woman characterized as aggressive, overbearing and forceful. The term originated as a gender-independent descriptor in the early 20th century, but became primarily applied to women around the middle of the century.[1]

The prime example was the militant temperance activist Carrie Nation, who actually wielded a hatchet and made it her symbol, living in Hatchet Hall and publishing a magazine called The Hatchet. She became involved in the suffragette campaign for votes for women and this campaign further established the archetype.[2][1][3]

The battleaxe is one of several stereotypes found in nursing – a tyrannical, fierce matron exemplified by Nurse Ratched or Hattie Jacques in popular medical dramas and comedies.[4] Judith Furse played a "battle-axe woman" in the film Carry On Cabby.[5]

Another example of the battleaxe in popular culture is in Soap opera, for which the "quintessential archetype"[6] was Violet Carson, who played Ena Sharples in the world's longest-running television soap opera,[7] Coronation Street.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Mel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Grace was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference WSR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference PN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference BF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Conventions of soap opera". BBC. 1 August 2003. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Coronation Street recognised as longest running soap". BBC. 25 September 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2024.